Latch for retrievable flow control devices

ABSTRACT

An improved latch for locking flow control devices in a mandrel receiver in which a spring-loaded concentric ring moves laterally into a semi-circular recess positioned above the receiver by providing means whose outside diameter is larger than the inside diameter of the latch ring and located on the latch body in a location that will mechanically force the latch ring through the latching shoulder and into the latching recess insuring that the latch ring will not be caught within the latching shoulder. A shoulder on the latch positioned to carry the locking ring past the locking shoulder when the flow control device is seated in the receiver.

Unite States ?atent n91 Terral [451 Aug. 6, 1974 i 1 LATCH FOR RETRIEVABLE FLOW CONTROL DEVICES [75] Inventor: Ben D. Terral, Houston, Tex.

[73] Assignee: Cameo, incorporated, Houston, Tex.

221 Filed: May 16, 1973 [21 App]. No.: 360,659

152] 11.5. C1. .1 166/215, 166/217 [51 I Int. Cl E21b 23/00 Field of Search 166/214, 215, 217

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,698,056 12/1954 Marshall et a1. 166/217 3,074,485 1/1963 McGowan. Jr. 166/217 3207224 9/1965 Schramm 166/217 Primary ExaminerJames A. Leppink Attorne Agent, or Firm-Fulbright & Crooker [57] ABSTRACT An improved latch for locking flow control devices in a mandrel receiver in which a spring-loaded concentric ring moves laterally into a semi-circular recess positioned above the receiver by providing means whose outside diameter is larger than the inside diameter of the latch ring and located on the latch body in a location that will mechanically force the latch ring through the latching shoulder and into the, latching recess insuring that the latch ring will not be caught within the latching shoulder A shoulder on the latch positioned to carry the locking ring past the locking shoulder when the flow control device is seated in the receiver.

1 Claim, 2 Drawing Figures LATCH FOR RETRIEVABLE FLOW CONTROL DEVICES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The use of a latch for installing or removing retrievable valves or other flow control devices from the receiver of a mandrel such as shown in FIGS. 17-22 of Pat. No. 3,074,485 and Pat. No. 3,207,224 is old. However, it has been found that the locking ring instead of moving past the latching shoulder and securing the flow control device in the receiver sometimes wedges against the latching shoulder and does not allow the valve or flow control device to properly and securely seat in the receiver.

The present apparatus is directed to an improvement in the latch for positively insuring that the locking ring will be mechanically forced past the latching shoulder and that the locking ring will not hangup on the shoulder and that the flow control device will therefore be properly seated in the mandrel receiver.

.SUMMARY The present invention is directed to the improvement in a latch for installing and removing flow control devices by providing means on the latch in a position which will mechanically and positively force the latch ring through the latching shoulder and to a position within the latching recess below the latching shoulder to insure that the latch ring will positively latch and secure the flow control device in the mandrel receiver.

A still further object of the present invention is the improvement on a latch for retrievable valves or the like which includes a shoulder having an outside diameter greater than the inside diameter of the locking ring on the latching sleeve spaced from the lower end a distance such that the shoulder will carry the locking ring past the latching shoulder when the flow control device is seated in the receiver.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an elevational view, partly in cross section, illustrating the latch of the present invention in position forcing the locking ring through the latching shoulder, and

FIG. 2 is an elevational view, in cross section, similar to that of FIG. 1 showing the position of the latch when the flow control device is seated in the mandrel receiver.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawing, the reference numeral generally indicates the improved latch of the present invention and, as more fully shown in Pat. No. 3,074,485, is adapted for use in a well mandrel l2 having a tubular receiver or side pocket 14 for receiving a flow control device 22 such as a gas lift valve, a blank, a choke or the like and includes the usual latching shoulder 16 for holding the latch 10 and thus the flow control device 22 in the receiver 14, as is conventional.

The latch 10 generally includes a rod-like cylindrical member 18 having threads 20 at its lower end for supporting a flow control device 22 such as a gas lift valve or the like. The upper end of the latch stem 18 is provided with a pointed head 24 of larger diameter than the stem thus providing a shoulder 26 for engagement with a running tool (not shown) for installing the flow control device 22 in the tubular receiver 14. A locking sleeve 28 is slidably mounted on the latch stem 18 but is temporarily and frangibly secured in its lowermost position against the upper end 30 of the flow control device 22 by means of a shear pin 32. The sleeve 28 includes a shoulder 34 for engagement with a pulling tool (not shown) for removing the latch 10 and the flow control device 22. The lower end of the sleeve 28 is enlarged as at 36 and a beveled shoulder 38 is provided thereabove for normally carrying a concentric locking ring 40 on the enlarged lower end 36 which is normally held thereon by a spring 42 acting against an intermediate shoulder 44 and the concentric locking ring 40 which normally rests on the top 30 of the flow control device 22. The upper and lower surfaces of the locking ring 40 are beveled as at 44 and 46, respectively, for coaction with bottom 48 and top 50 bevel surfaces, respectively, of the horizontally arcuate latching shoulder 16 which is substantially a half circle.

When running the flow control device 22 in place, the sleeve 28 is temporarily restrained by the shear pin 32 in its described lower position and the locking ring 40 surrounds the sleeve enlargement 36 and is held on top 30 of the flow control device 22 by the compression spring 42. When the flow control device 22 is moved in the receiver 14, and as best seen in FIG. 1, lower bevel end 46 of the locking ring 40 engages the upper beveled end 50 of the locking shoulder 16, the locking ring 40 is moved upwardly relative to the enlarged lower head 36 of the sleeve 28 to a smaller diameter 35 of the sleeve 28 just above the head 36 whereupon the caming action of the shoulder 16 against the ring 40 moves the ring 40 laterally to permit the locking ring 40 to pass the shoulder 16. Continued downward movement of the valve 22 brings the locking ring 40 below the locking shoulder 16 and the spring 42 then urges the locking ring 40 to its original position around the enlarged head 36 of the sleeve 24 as best seen in FIG. 2. Thus, the locking ring 40 locks the latch 10 and holds the flow control device 22 in the tubular receiver 14 after the running tool is disengaged from the latch 10.

The above described structure and operation is generally shown in Pat. No. 3,074,485. However, the prior art latches generally depend solely upon the compression in the spring 42 and gravity to urge the locking ring 40 past the latching shoulder 16. However, on many occasions, the locking ring 40 becomes wedged in the shoulder 16 and does not pass beyond the shoulder 16 and thus does not securely lock and hold the flow control device 22 in the tubular receiver 14.

The presentinvention is directed to providing means on the sleeve 28 which is larger than the inside diameter of the locking ring 40 and is located on the sleeve 28 in a position that the locking ring 40 will be forced through the latching shoulder 16 to a position below the latching shoulder 16 in order to insure that the locking ring 40 will not wedge or hang up within the latching shoulder 16 and therefore will insure that the flow control device 22 is properly seated and locked in the tubular receiver 14. Thus, a shoulder is provided on the sleeve 28 above the enlarged head 36 a distance to insure that the recess 35 is at least as great as the thickness of the locking ring 40 to insure that the ring 40 may be laterally moved as the ring 40 moves past the latching shoulder 16. In addition, the diameter of the sleeve above the shoulder 60 is greater than the inside diameter of the ring 40 insuring that the ring cannot tilt and wedge against shoulder 16 and is properly driven past the shoulder 16. However, the shoulder 60 is positioned on the sleeve 28 such that it will move past the latching shoulder 16 when the flow control device 22 is seated in the tubular receiver 14, as best seen in FIG. 2, thereby insuring that the shoulder 60 will mechanically force the locking ring 40 past the latching shoulder 16.

Thus, by using the shoulder 60, a positive locking mechanism is provided for insuring that the locking ring 40 will be carried below the latching shoulder 16 to positively latch and lock the latch and hold the flow control device 22 in the tubular receiver 14. Retrieval of the flow control device 22 is conventional in that a pulling tool (not shown) is lowered by means of a wireline and engages the shoulder 34 on the upper end of the sleeve 28 to shear the pin 32 and move the sleeve 24 upwardly on the latch assembly body 18 thereby withdrawing the enlarged head 36 from the interior of the locking ring 40; The ring 40 remains in contact with the top 30 of the flow control device 22 and at the same time relieves some of the pressure of the spring 42 thus permitting the locking ring 40 to laterally shift as the bevel upper surface 44 on the ring 40 makes a caming contact with the lower bevel surface 48 on the locking shoulder 16 for removing the latch and the flow control device 22 from the tubular receiver 14,

The present invention, therefore, is well adapted to carry out the objects and attain the ends and advantages mentioned as well as others inherent therein. While presently preferred embodiments of the invention are given for the purpose of disclosure, numerous changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and which are encompassed within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a section of well tubing having a tubular receiver for a flow control device and an internal latching shoulder located above the tubular receiver, a combined flow control device and latching mechanism adapted to be installed in or raised from said section, said latching mechanism comprising a cylindrical rod projecting upwardly from the flow control device, a stop carried by said flow control device adjacent the lower end of said rod, a sleeve slidably mounted on said rod and having an enlarged head at its lower end, frangible means normally holding said sleeve in lowered position with the enlarged head portion engaging said stop and a locking ring slidable with reference to said sleeve and seatable on said enlarged portion in engagement with said stop, resilient means urging said locking ring against said stop but permitting the ring to be lifted from the enlarged portion on engagement with the internal latching shoulder of said tubing section during seating of the flow control device in the receiver, thereby permitting the ring to pass the latching shoulder and again reseat on the enlarged portion of the sleeve after passing the internal shoulder, thereby latching the flow control device in the receiver, and means on the upper end of said sleeve for engagement by a pulling tool, said sleeve on the pulling operation being inwardly moved relative to the cylindrical rod by breakage of said frangible means and thus permitting the locking ring to slide laterally beneath the enlarged portion of the sleeve and thus release the assembly from its latched position, wherein the improvement comprises,

a shoulder on the sleeve spaced from the enlarged head a distance at least as great as the thickness of the locking ring, but at a distance such that the shoulder will carry the locking ring past the latching shoulder when the flow control device is seated in the receiver, said shoulder having an outside diameter greater than the inside diameter of the locking ring. 

1. In a section of well tubing having a tubular receiver for a flow control device and an internal latching shoulder located above the tubular receiver, a combined flow control device and latching mechanism adapted to be installed in or raised from said section, said latching mechanism comprising a cylindrical rod projecting upwardly from the flow control device, a stop carried by said flow control device adjacent the lower end of said rod, a sleeve slidably mounted on said rod and having an enlarged head at its lower end, frangible means normally holding said sleeve in lowered position with the enlarged head portion engaging said stop and a locking ring slidable with reference to said sleeve and seatable on said enlarged portion in engagement with said stop, resilient means urging said locking ring against said stop but permitting the ring to be lifted from the enlarged portion on engagement with the internal latching shoulder of said tubing section during seating of the flow control device in the receiver, thereby permitting the ring to pass the latching shoulder and again reseat on the enlarged portion of the sleeve after passing the internal shoulder, thereby latching the flow control device in the receiver, and means on the upper end of said sleeve for engagement by a pulling tool, said sleeve on the pulling operation being inwardly moved relative to the cylindrical rod by breakage of said frangible means and thus permitting the locking ring to slide laterally beneath the enlarged portion of the sleeve and thus release the assembly from its latched position, wherein the improvement comprises, a shoulder on the sleeve spaced from the enlarged head a distance at least as great as the thickness of the locking ring, but at a distance such that the shoulder will carry the locking ring past the latching shoulder when the flow control device is seated in the receiver, said shoulder having an outside diameter greater than the inside diameter of the locking ring. 